Regular readers will know that I have, at times, been quite critical of referees at this level, but will also have noted that I have said nothing about them all season...until now.

I was at the Newmarket vs Brightlingsea match last night where I witnessed what can only be described as an abysmal performance by the match officials. One of the linesmen just didn't give anything all night. Fouls committed right in front of him ignored, ball out of play given the wrong way on at least FOUR occasions. The other (supposedly senior linesman, on the dug out side) was as pompous and rude as I've seen and heard any match official at ANY LEVEL.

Now, to the referee. Firstly he lives less than 5 miles from the Newmarket ground and on arrival was warmly welcomed by the gate man, tea ladies, management and players of Newmarket, by his first name, and he responded to this by calling everyone he came into contact with by their first names as well. During the game he gave every 50/50 decision, no I'll revise that, every 60/40 (In Brightlingsea's favour) decision to Newmarket. Managed to book three Brightlingsea players and send one off a minute into the second half without ever speaking to a Newmarket player throughout the game. The sending off wasn't even a foul in the opinion of every person in the ground, including all the Newmarket fans.A Brightlingsea player was through one on one only to be hauled to the ground by a tackle that wouldn't have looked out of place at Twickenham, (indeed 70,000 fans would have been out of their seats applauding)...........No foul, much less no free kick and no sending off!! One of the Brightlingsea bookings was for hand ball, but TWO free kicks against Newmarket for hand ball resulted in how many cautions? Yep, that's right, NONE.

I'm not going to say that the referee was a cheat, moreso that in my opinion he favoured one side much more than the other.

£25 spent on fuel for my 140 mile round trip, £12 entry for my wife and I , only to have our evening ruined by the most incompetent set of officials it has been my "privilege" to witness, this, or any other season.

I only hope that both teams mark the referee as well below the standard required at this level, although I suspect only one of them will.

In the games i've seen this season , i've thought that the referees have been generally pretty good.The Linesman on the other hand have at times made some shocking Decisions.The only good thing i can say is that they have been as bad for both teams & so no real advantage.Half are so unfit they struggle to get 10 yards from play & so just make random calls!